


From the van der Linde Ladies, With Love 💌 || VDE 2021

by TheViperQueen



Series: With Love 💌 || Immy’s Valentine’s Day Event 2021 [3]
Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Immy's VDE 2021, Other, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff, finally trying my hand at writing the ladies in a romantic capacity, i'm both excited and scared lol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-13 22:07:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29160900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheViperQueen/pseuds/TheViperQueen
Summary: 🌹 It’s exactly what it sounds like lol. Just cute/heartfelt letters from the ladies to their sweethearts.🌹 Full disclosure time! I haven’t interacted with the source material in a while (not to mention I’ve never tried to write them as anything other than supporting characters before this) so idk how good of a grasp I still have of them as characters but I’m trying My Best™.🌹 These, like p. much everything I write these days, are written with a gender neutral reader.Chapter 3: Sadie AdlerLoving You From Now Until Eternity’s End|| WC: 700~Her words may be clumsy, but they’re all the purer for it…Chapter 4: Abigail RobertsLoving You With All That I Am|| WC: 700~She’s found that loving you is like coming home…Chapter 5: Molly O’SheaLoving You With All of Me|| WC: 1K~In finding herself, she’s found something just as precious in you…
Relationships: Abigail Roberts Marston/Reader, Karen Jones/Reader, Mary-Beth Gaskill/Reader, Molly O'Shea/Reader, Sadie Adler/Reader, Susan Grimshaw/Reader, Tilly Jackson/Reader
Series: With Love 💌 || Immy’s Valentine’s Day Event 2021 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2140560
Kudos: 15





	1. With Love (and Lust)

Lover,  
  


Writing ain’t really my thing, but seeing as it’s a special occasion and all I thought I’d whip up a lil’ something-something for ya.

So it’s that time of the year again, the one that brings about roses and fat babies with arrows and an agonizing awareness of your relationship status. Tbh, the only reason I tolerated Valentine’s Day in the past was because it was a means to an end. I cleaned up every year, if not from the efforts of a partner, then in all the discount goodies that always went on sale the day after. I was always careful not to buy into the hype or to lose myself to the rose-tint, ya know? And that wasn’t just a rule for V-Day, it was a way of life. After all, you never have to worry about being disappointed if you’re always expecting the worst and never daring to hope for something better.

And then along came _you._

I have no idea when I fell into it this deep with you, but I’m pretty sure there’s no way out at this point.  
What’s scarier is that I don’t _want_ to get out.

Feelings and emotions and bonds—those aren’t things that I do. Not like this, not when it comes to my love life. We were never supposed to happen, not like this, and yet here we are so far down the line that I can’t even remember what the start looks like. I’m so far removed from that old, jaded Karen that I… I honestly don’t even know. What I _do_ know is that I’ve changed, and that should scare the shit out of me/piss me the hell off, but I can’t find it in myself to be anything but happy and grateful.

I call you my lover all the time, but you’re so much more than that—you’re my _love._

I thought I knew what that word meant, what it felt like, but I was so wrong. Nothing makes my heart race and thoughts stutter and knees weak like you do. You’re just so… I don’t know if I have the words to actually describe you, actually, but perfect maybe-sorta-kinda-definitely works.

Being with you leaves me feeling so full (in more ways than one, if you catch my drift, _wink-wink_ ). But in all seriousness my life is so much better with you in it. And while I still have some reservations about this whole ‘being in love’ business, I can’t think of a better partner to have by my side through it all. You’ve stayed and put up with more mess from me than anyone as sweet as you should have to, but don’t worry I plan on making it all up to you, and part one of that is in that box. Go on and open it now, baby~

Cute set, huh?

I figured after all the wining and dining is done I could slip it on and we could have a little fun ;)

And don’t worry, I got a matching set for you too. Happy Valentine’s to us both, am I right??  
  


With Love (and lust),  
Karen


	2. Mary-Beth Gaskill || Yours in Heart and Mind, Body and Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Even though the path was lined with heartache, it was worth it because it led to you…_

Dearest,  
  


It’s already Valentine’s Day, can you believe it? My, how time flies when you’re spending it with the love of your life.

Though I’ve made a career of writing about hearts beating as one and the intricacies of true love, I honestly doubted that I would ever get the chance to experience any of those things firsthand. A heartbreaking thought, that, especially for a hopeless romantic like myself, but there’s always been this lingering thread of realism that I’ve never quite been able to vanquish from myself.

Still, I looked and strove and tried my hand at romance again and again with varied, but ultimately empty results. My biggest problem was the depth of my yearning (which is just a nice way of saying ‘desperation’) combined with the restrictions I had placed on things, on people. It’s a conclusion that I wish I would have come to far sooner. I had this idea of how every interaction and event should transpire, and when they inevitably went off script I lost a little more faith. It was unhealthy, not to mention unrealistic, I see that now, but I was young and naïve and broken in so many ways… My actions left not only myself at a deficit, but those who I claimed to loved—not that I didn’t actually care about them, mind, it just wasn’t in the right way or completely for the right reasons. I was in love with the idea of love. It was a conceptual thing, one tinted a rosy pink and comprised of endless sunsets and evergreen souls—all things that are lovely in theory, but impossible to achieve in the real world. And even if you somehow could, would their beauty not be lessened by their lack of transience?

I thought that I needed someone to love me, but really what I needed was to learn to love myself. It wasn’t until I stopped looking for external validation and turned inwards that I saw things for what they really were. My perceptions changed, _I_ changed, and grew into someone who could properly love and be loved in return. And it’s as if the universe knew I was finally ready because soon after I found you.

Sweet, wonderful, adoring, amazing _you._

There is a part of me that wishes I would have met you sooner, but if you had known the me that I was then… Well I wouldn’t want that for you. No soul should ever be tasked with buoying an entire person’s worth in such a manner. You deserve the best of everything, not least of all me, and I’m so glad I can give that to you. In return I get an amazing partner, one that cherishes me just as dearly as I cherish them.

I love you, , _so much.  
_ I know that I say that all the time, but it can’t hurt to hear it again ( _and again and again_ ), right?

I love you, and thank you for giving me the storybook romance that I always dreamed of.  
  


Yours in heart and mind, body and soul,  
Mary-Beth ♡  
  


P.S.: I know we had plans, but would you be terribly disappointed if we cancelled them? I think I’d much rather spend the day with you and only you. Just us, wrapped up in each other’s everything, sharing breaths and trading kisses… Yes, I think I would very much like to keep you all to myself today, love. What can I say? I’m feeling a bit selfish ;)


	3. Sadie Adler || Loving You From Now Until Eternity’s End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Her words may be clumsy, but they’re all the purer for it…_

To my baby,  
  


I’m not gonna lie to you, honey—I feel like a right fool writing this, but I’ve come to terms with the fact that that’s just what you do to me. I’ve already done things a sight more foolish in the name of love, so what’s a little letter?

The whole reason I’m even writing this thing is because it’s Valentine’s Day and I wanted to surprise you with something special. I have a gift for you too, but even though that’s been hand-picked, well I wanted you to have something a bit more personal than just that.

First I guess I should start off by saying I love you, yeah? Because I truly do. Honestly I didn’t think I’d ever have it in me to try again after losing Jake and everything that went along with that, but… Well you make want to—try again, that is. In fact you make me want to do a whole lot of things that I’d sworn off. You’ve improved both me and my life in so many ways, ones that run far deeper than what’s readily apparent, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay you for that. I know that you’d tell me that’s not necessary, that love isn’t about checks and balances and you’re right, I know that, but you’ve given me so much it’s only right that I at least try to return it in part.

I don’t have much to offer you besides myself, but seeing as how that’s all you really want, I guess it’s all good.

You’re far too good a thing for this fucked up world, and I would say far too good for me as well, but I know you’d shout me down if were to actually say so, so I won’t. Still I can’t help but to feel that way sometimes. It isn’t an everyday thing, but… Well we all get insecure from time to time, but a thing that I’ve noticed (and am immensely grateful for) is that you always seem to know when I’m starting to drift. It’s like you know me just as well, if not better, than I know myself, and you always know how to pull me back from the brink. Without you I don’t think that I would’ve made it this far, not while keeping myself whole anyway. I’m a survivor, always have been and always will be, but there’s more to life than just making it to the next day. Used to be a time when I was content with that sort of existence, but since you—well, now I want to _live._ I want to experience new things, see new sights, taste everything this world has to offer and I want to do it all with you.

Thank you for helping me find myself again, , and for loving me for the duration.

I know that it couldn’t have been easy, but you stayed and that means more to me than you’ll ever know. _You_ mean more to me than you’ll ever know. I try to show it as much as I can, but all the sweet words and acts of love in the world could never fully express all that I feel for you. My heart’s so damn full with all of this love and care towards you that sometimes it feels as if it’s literally gonna burst from it all. A silly (not to mention flowery) notion, but there it is.

I’m nobody’s wordsmith, this I know, but still I needed to let you know what it is I feel for you. This is me bearing my heart to you in as pure a manner as I can muster; knowing that you’ll return my efforts with all the love and acceptance that you never fail to show me is just… extraordinary, surreal even. Sometimes it legitimately leaves me wondering if this is indeed real life…

I love you baby, so damn much, and I’m forever grateful that you love me with just as much fervor.

Okay then, that’s all I wanted/needed to say. Hope it came out alright. All this… it’s new to me in a way, and I’m still trying to get my bearings, but I know you won’t mind if I stumble about every now and then—you’re kind and amazing like that.

  
Loving you from now until eternity’s end,  
Sadie


	4. Abigail Roberts || Loving You With All That I Am

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _She’s found that loving you is like coming home…_

Hey babe,  
  


So it’s Valentine’s Day yet again. Kinda feels like it’s already come and gone, but maybe it’s just all the holiday themed shit that’s been shoved in my face since the turn of the year that makes it seem that way. I’m actually rather fond of the day, but this is a bit much, you gotta admit. No lie, I went into a store not even a week after New Year’s and they were already putting out heart-shaped boxes of candy and little pastel bears and such. Ridiculous, truly. But I’m not writing this letter just to moan about having to endure holidays well before their time, but rather because I want to do something sweet for you this year.

I wanted to avoid indulging in any clichés, but really there are only so many ways to express one’s affections. I’m not a singer or a poet or an artist or anything else fancy like that, so we’re both just gonna have to make do with a simple love letter. But hey, you gotta respect the classics, yeah?

On the surface I know that I can come off as a cliché myself. What’s worse is that those parts are some of what I’m most proud of in myself. The ‘strong and independent’ thing has become a parody at this point, a phrase tossed around with a mocking tone or an upturned lip. And when it’s taken to extremes maybe it is deserving of all that, but my confidence and pride are both hard won. They’re things I had to fight not only the world for, but myself as well.

For so long so much about my life was at the whim of others, and once I broke free of that I swore that I would never endure anything even remotely similar ever again. Still it’s sad to say that it took me a long time to find my worth in truth. Before that it was little more than bravado and bluster, a fierce and brave face put on for the sole purpose of keeping people from thinking I was someone they could take advantage of. I was a loud, brash thing, but my words were ultimately hollow— _I_ was hollow. I’ve since tended to those wounds, while years and experience both have dulled my jagged bits, though I’ve never quite lost my edge and for that I am grateful. I know I’m not everybody’s cup of tea, but I like who I am, and those closest to me don’t seem to mind much either.

You especially, I’ve found, don’t seem to mind at all—in fact I’d even go so far as to say you love those parts of me just as much as I do.

But even so you knew to look beyond that. I’m so much more than just the fighter. I’m a lover of many, the mother of one, a loyal friend, a comforter, a confidant, a supporter… I cry over terrible made for TV movies, sappy poems make me blush, and I cannot walk past a baby or toddler without making weird faces just to get a gummy smile. I am so many silly and odd and wonderful things, and you let me be them all—you let me be _me_ , unmasked and unashamed. Do you know how rare and beautiful of a thing that is?

Do you know how rare and a beautiful thing _you_ are?

Hundreds upon hundreds of languages have given us thousands upon thousands of words, and yet I don’t think have any that could ever hope to fully explain just how much you mean to me. I swear sometimes it feels like you’re just a dream, something that my unconscious mind has conjured up to keep itself pleasantly occupied, and then you take my hand or smile at me or just breathe and I realize not only are you _real_ , but you’re _mine_ and I just…

I didn’t know that it was possible for another person to make you feel so full, for a hug to feel like home, for a kiss to convey love and safety and promises of a future that I never allowed myself to wish for.

, baby, you give me all of that and more, and my god do I love you for it.

You’re more than I ever even thought to ask for, and I’m so happy and honored and proud to walk side-by-side with you through this journey we call life. Thank you for this, thank you for being your wonderful self…  
  


Loving you with all that I am,  
Abby xo


	5. Molly O’Shea || Loving You With All of Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _In finding herself, she’s found something just as precious in you…_

To my dearest love,  
  


I know that I am giving this to you as part of your Valentine’s Day gift, so forgive me if this letter is a little self-indulgent, but there are some things I needed to tell you, some things that I feel as if you deserve to know.

Before we met, I was… Well, you actually know how I was because I didn’t change— _improve_ —until well after we were acquainted. For so long I based my identity and worth on external factors. Much of this I blame on my upbringing; every sphere has its struggles, and while mine might seem irrelevant when put up against those of people less fortunate, they were struggles nonetheless. I always had to be this picture perfect girl—no flaws, no unsightly behaviors or beliefs or anything else that would make me seem remotely human. I was taught to hold myself apart– No, _above_ , and I’m sad and ashamed to say that for a long while I actually bought into all the lies. It was easier that way, to just lean into the curve and let my life flow along its predestined path. It wasn’t until I met someone who was at once both a part of that world and not that I began to question things.

Even after escaping the confines of my old life I still believed myself to be better to a degree. Looking back on it now I cannot for the life of me say why; it is not as if I ever faced any true hardships, as even after leaving my family behind there were still people about to look after me. I was not content to just borrow the struggle of others, I needed to own it, and in doing so I felt as if it were something more for having been ‘mine’. After all, how can one miss something they never had? I was convinced that the others around me didn’t understand lack or loss because they never had to leave behind all that I had. A foolish—and not to mention _highly narcissistic_ —notion, I realize that now, though I truly wish I had done so sooner.

In fact there are a great many things I wish I would have realized sooner such as how to differentiate between who and what meant me good. I thought I had it all figured out, but in actuality I had only succeeded in shifted the bulk of my self-wroth from one set of hands into another. I won’t go into the details of my sole previous relationship as you got to watch the majority of that disaster unfold in real-time, but suffice it to say I was much better off once things ended—once you stepped into my life.

I know that makes it sound as if I just shifted myself about again, but that is something you would never allow. You were always interested in Molly O’Shea, even when she herself was not entirely sure who she was. The few traits that I had managed to foster were not at all great, and yet you stuck around anyway. You made me question things that I never thought to, made me reflect in a way that was actively discouraged by so many around me for so long. You held up a mirror to my existence and made me take a long hard look at who I had become and it hurt, _badly_ , but it was the wakeup call that I needed. I didn’t like who I saw looking back at me, though I did not know what to do about it, but there you were, offering me a lifeline. You told me that it was never too late to change, that I could find myself, that I could blaze my own path. Your words, while simple, were the starting point; the faith you’d placed in me was among the first set of tools I needed to rectify things.

Through it all you stood by my side and for that I am forever grateful. So many before you loomed over my shoulder, offering ‘advice’ that was more akin to mandates. They directed me down paths that would ultimately benefit themselves with little regard as to the deficit that would be created in my soul. It was as if I were little more than a plaything to them, a toy to be manipulated and discarded whenever it suited them, but you…

_You…_

You never wanted anything other than the best for me. You offered advice, yes, but never anything more than that. You let me stumble about when needed, though you were quick to offer a helping hand before I fell too far. You were a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen, and most importantly a friend when I had none. You became so much to me, so dear and cherished, is it any surprise that I fell for you?

In learning how to truly love myself I found something just as precious in you. , my love, you are everything I’ve ever wanted, _needed_ , but never even knew to ask for. Kindness and patience and caring and so many, many more lovely things that I would run out of ink before I could even list a quarter of them.

What I can at least try to convey, however, is just how deeply I care for you. In the time since we’ve been together I’ve done my best to let you know just how much you mean to me, but as I’ve long since learned there’s always room for improvement, and what better day to start than Valentine’s Day? To this end I’ve planned several things to help get us into the holiday’s spirit, ranging from the mundane (I hope you enjoyed your breakfast in bed!) to the more, let’s say _involved_ (the specifics of that I shall leave as a surprise for now). I truly hope you enjoy it all, love, because if there’s one person that deserves to be spoiled today—and everyday—it is you.

But this letter is getting rather lengthy, so I’ll end it here so that we can get to enjoying the rest of the day with each other.  
  


Loving you with all of me,  
Molly xx

**Author's Note:**

> 💕 Kudos and comments are always appreciated!  
> 💕 You can also find this collection over on my [tumblr](https://notepadsandtealeaves.tumblr.com/post/642043070829953024/from-the-van-der-linde-ladies-with-love).  
>   
> || [My personal tumblr](https://thepuckishrogue.tumblr.com/) | [My writing tumblr](https://notepadsandtealeaves.tumblr.com/) | [My mug of ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/thepuckishrogue#)* ||  
> *((please note that donations are never a requirement, just thought I’d give people the option. Writing’s a passion of mine and I’m gonna do it regardless...))


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